Increased movement of drugs through courier services has emerged as a new challenge for the Narcotics Control Bureau. Taking advantage of poor diligence by many courier firms, smugglers are using them as a conduit for their illegal business, said NCB officers. The agency has started meetings with leading courier companies and is guiding them in preventing the menace, apart from warning of strict action for lapses. 

NCB officers said the smuggling of drugs through couriers gained momentum during the lockdown, with the smugglers communicating via the darknet. The agency came across 306 such cases in 2020 and 2021, up from 134 between 2017 and 2019.